For all the preppers out there who have a seed vault in the basement somewhere and who plan on growing food if things go pear-shaped, I have a warning for you: gardening has a steep learning curve. Don’t think that you’ll simply dig up the front lawn, plant some bean seeds, and feed your family. I have nothing against a seed vault (as a matter of fact, it’s a great thing to have as backup in case your supply of saved seed becomes damaged), but it takes years to develop some level of competency in a garden, especially if you’re planning on surviving at least in part by eating what you’ve grown in your yard.
I am in my sixties and have been gardening all my life. My mom’s people were Sicilian immigrants, and, as you may know, Italians are hardwired to garden. It’s in our genes. My mom, my nana, all my aunts and uncles–everyone had a garden in the backyard. Besides being of Italian descent, I was a science teacher for twenty-four years and learned much along the way about plants and soil. Please note that I did not say I am Italian-American. I am an American, born and bred. No hyphen. I am of Italian (and English and Scottish) descent.
Once I was out on my own, I too had a garden. Now I live on half an acre in an 885 square foot house with 2500 square feet of garden space. While this piece of property is very small compared to others around me in my rural area, I have done everything I can to maximize my space.
The back garden is fenced in with seven-foot high poly mesh fencing (because of the deer) bordered along the bottom by two-foot metal chicken wire fencing (because of the woodchucks). There are five 4×8 beds, five 4×12 beds, one 4×18 bed, all raised, twelve blueberry bushes, and a fifty-foot row of black raspberries all within the main fencing. The front garden is in an enclosed front yard with ten 4×10 beds and three 3×20 beds, again raised. Along the side of the house by the driveway is another bed with red, yellow, and purple raspberries. All the berries in the yard have netting over them (because of the birds). In the back by the chickens are three peach trees and one plum. A bed of culinary herbs is by the back door, and medicinal herbs are in a flower bed along the north side of the property.
From this garden space, we harvest hundreds of pounds of vegetables and fruits each year. Much is eaten fresh; much more is preserved by freezing, canning, pickling, and burying the root vegetables (except for the potatoes, onions, and garlic) in damp sand in the cold room. Come late spring, we will still be eating the harvest from the previous fall.
Over the next few weeks, I will be discussing the steps needed to create a large, productive garden.
